Rennie pinpoints key moments behind All Blacks’ win over Boks
REACTION: All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie believes there were several key moments that turned the tide of the game in their remarkable 33-16 victory over the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday.
New Zealand outscored the Boks by five tries to one to win the first Test of the Greatest Rivalry series and go 1-0 up with three matches remaining.
The All Blacks trailed the hosts 12-13 at the break but turned up the ante in the second half, scoring 21 points as Fabian Holland, Luke Jacobson and Will Jordan all crossed the whitewash.
Flyhalf Ruben Love, who had one of his quieter games in an All Blacks’ jersey, converted all three tries to end the match with eight points.
Rennie, who said he was proud of the effort shown by his side, credited their defence and ability to stay in the game in the crucial moments.
“I’m incredibly proud,” he said. “There was nothing in that game; I know the score might sound convincing, but it was an absolute arm wrestle.
“The 10 minutes before halftime were massive. We were under the pump in that time and scrambled really well.
“Unfortunately, we gave the ball back to them a couple of times, but I thought we bared up hugely, defensively in that last 10 minutes of the first half.”
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The All Blacks can be pleased with series opener against the Boks, find out who we thought impressed the most
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Having managed to go into the break trailing by just one point, the All Blacks allowed the Boks to extend their lead by four when Cheslin Kolbe slotted over a penalty in the 46th minute.
A minute later, Fabian Holland charged down a Grant Williams box kick and ran over to grab back the lead for his side.
The Kiwis were under the pump after that score and had to sustain huge amounts of pressure from the Boks, who opted for numerous scrums five metres out instead of taking the points on offer.
Somehow, the All Blacks survived that scrum onslaught, as replacement prop George Bower won them a penalty.
That was the moment Rennie identified as the game changer.
“I think it was the scrum in the 55th minute,” he said.
“We had been under the pump for so long, and they kicked a penalty, we got down, and we charged down, and Fabian scored; that was a bit of a soft one.
“And then we were under the pump for a number of minutes, maybe five or six, and we came out of that.
“We got a little bit of territory, and somewhere there we got a 50/22, and we were able to camp down there, and we got rewarded.”
The Springboks made their lives even harder with terrible handling errors as they gifted the All Blacks a whopping 23 turnovers.
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The Boks were more disciplined, copping 10 penalties to the All Blacks’ 14, but the hosts finished the game with 13 players after yellow cards to Cobus Reinach and Marco van Staden, both for cynical fouls.
Building up to the first Test, Rennie had emphasised the importance of winning the first match, and although he was relieved, he said they won’t be resting on their laurels.
“It’s massive, you’ve got a leg up obviously, but it doesn’t guarantee anything,” he said.
“What we know is they are such a good side, so next week is going to be just as tough.
“It’s nice to be one up. We’ll enjoy a quiet beer; there are a number of guys who are going to have to play again on Tuesday and then back up on Saturday, especially with the couple of injuries.”
